


Graduation Party

by teej_318



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: And they celebrate and reminisce on their favorite memories, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Happy Ending, High School Graduation, Love Confessions, M/M, The Party graduates high school, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:29:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24725299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teej_318/pseuds/teej_318
Summary: The Party graduates from high school and later at the Wheeler home, talk about some of their favorite memories of high school.
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers & Eleven | Jane & Dustin Henderson & Maxine Mayfield & Lucas Sinclair & Mike Wheeler, Will Byers & Mike Wheeler, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 1
Kudos: 43





	Graduation Party

The Party’s graduation celebration at the Wheeler house could not have been more different than their graduation ceremony, which had occurred earlier that afternoon.

The graduation ceremony was the typical graduation. There were the usual speeches from the principal and student leaders, most of whom had never bothered getting to know anyone in The Party, which meant that all the kids had tuned out the speeches. There was the usual cheering when student’s names were called, despite the principal asking the parents to hold off on individual cheering so they could get through the ceremony quicker. And of course, at the end of it, after the principal of Hawkins High declared the seniors as graduates, all of the students had thrown their graduation caps into the air, their last act as a class before dispersing.

Eventually, the Party had made its way to Mike’s house, following several rounds of pictures with each other and individually while they were still dressed in their graduation gowns. At the Wheeler home, the atmosphere was much more relaxed, since it was a more intimate gathering of people who actually liked each other, rather than people who were forced together daily simply because they lived in the same town. 

A majority of the celebration took place outside; the Wheeler house simply wasn’t big enough to accommodate all members of The Party  _ and _ their families. Luckily, the Wheelers had a big backyard, with plenty of room for everyone to meander around and enjoy each other’s company. Hopper had even brought his grill from the lakehouse and was grilling hotdogs and hamburgers for everyone to enjoy. 

It was the perfect party atmosphere and although glad to be done with high school, Will simply couldn’t help but feel a little sad while they celebrated. Will knew that he wouldn’t miss much of high school, other than his art classes and the theatre department, where he had played several roles during his four years in school. But, he was certainly going to miss all of his friends. They were all moving on with their lives in one way or another. Lucas and Max were moving into an apartment together in Chicago, where Max was going to attend the University of Illinois at Chicago, while Lucas was going to work as an electrician. Dustin was planning to attend a local community college to figure out what his major ought to be since he was so indecisive. El was bound for Washington D.C. on a scholarship for a political reporting program offered through  _ The Washington Post _ . Will was headed for NYU in the fall, following in Jonathan’s footsteps, in order to major in art and photography.

The only one of their friend group whose plans Will was unsure of was Mike. Anytime Will had asked Mike what his plans were, Mike had been vague on answering, as if he were avoiding the question. Will had eventually given up asking Mike about it, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer if Mike was avoiding the topic. Still, Will couldn’t help but wonder, and be a little sad that his best friend wasn’t sharing his plans for the future with Will.

Just as the sun was starting to set, Ted started a fire in the firepit that sat in the center of the backyard. Everyone gathered around the fire, huddled together rather close, knowing their time together as a unit was now limited. 

“Wow, it’s hard to believe you kids are all down with high school now,” observed Karen. “How do you guys feel?”

There was a general murmur of “It feels good to be done” from The Party, each of them talking over the other as they all rushed to answer the question. They grinned at each other when they realized their answers sounded mostly jumbled. 

“So, do you guys have any favorite memories from the last four years?” asked Joyce.

The Party all glanced at each other, all of them trying to guess what the others’ answers would be. Finally, Lucas spoke up first. 

“I think winning the state basketball championship this year was it for me,” he said. “That was an intense game, but it felt so amazing to score that winning basket!”

“Yeah, you were amazing, babe!” Max said, giving Lucas a kiss on the cheek.

All of the adults cooed at the display of affection while the rest of The Party mimed vomiting and Max stared daggers at all of them. Erica, meanwhile, rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath when the adults had quieted down.

“Nerd,” she said, just loud enough for Lucas to hear her. Lucas flipped her off.

“Well, I think my best memory was when Lucas and I were crowned Homecoming Queen and King together,” Max said. 

“You guys made the most adorable Homecoming Royal Couple ever,” said Mrs. Sinclair, who was practically gushing at Lucas and Max. Max blushed while Lucas looked toward his friends in embarrassment, hoping one of them would continue the conversation to spare him further humiliation. 

“Junior prom was definitely one of the best parts!” Dustin exclaimed, happy to answer the question and get the attention off of Lucas and Max. “Especially that limo we got to rent; it made us arrive in style!”

Everyone laughed as they reminisced about their junior prom. It was definitely the better of the two proms they had attended; senior prom had been held in a terrible location that was much too small for a prom. Junior prom had been held at a science museum, interestingly enough, and it had a theme of “Under the Sea,” which meant The Party had all rocked various shades of blue with their outfits. 

“How about you, El, sweetie?” Joyce asked. “What’s your favorite memory of high school?”

“Definitely when I got to interview the governor for that story about his reelection in the fall,” El said. “I wasn’t expecting to get to do that interview and when he said yes, I’m pretty sure my brain short-circuited.” 

“Yeah, I remember seeing your face when you got the phone call that his office was granting you the interview,” said Will with a fond grin. “I thought you were broken.”

El giggled.

“I’m pretty sure I was until Dad asked me what was going on,” she said with a nod toward Hopper, who grinned back at her. “Still, that was definitely the highlight for me in high school, and all the times we hung out at open lunch together, plotting to take over the school.”

“El, you weren’t supposed to reveal that!” Max chastised, though she was laughing with the rest of the group.

“So, how about you, Will?” asked El. “What’s your favorite memory?”

“It’s gotta be when I played Seymour in ‘Little Shop,’” Will said. “It was a fun role to play and it didn’t terrify me nearly as much as I thought it would.”

“You were a great Seymour!” Mike exclaimed. “And every other role you played in theatre.”

Will blushed at Mike’s comments and found his heart feeling lighter like it did every time Mike complimented him on something.

“So, how about you, Mike? What’s your favorite memory of high school?”

Mike didn’t hesitate to answer immediately. 

“All of our line running sessions we did to help you memorize your lines for all your shows, Will,” Mike said proudly.

Will was taken aback by Mike’s comment.

“Wait, really?” Will asked. Mike nodded. “Why? All we did was run lines in those sessions and you just had to follow along in the book. I figured you were bored out of your mind when you helped me run lines.”

“But I got to spend time with you, helping you do something that you love. I love watching you do something that you love and helping you achieve it.”

Will blushed again. Hearing Mike say “I love” so many times in one sentence did not help his heart rate; Will was sure it had started to beat as fast as it possibly could as Mike answered the question.

“Thanks, Mikey,” Will said quietly, just loud enough for Mike to hear him.

“Anytime, Willie,” Mike replied. 

* * *

Mike woke with a start. It had been several hours since the graduation celebration had ended and all of the adults had returned to their homes. The Party had camped out in the Wheeler basement and they were spread out around the room, all of them asleep. 

Well, most of them, anyway.

Mike sat up as he tried to figure out what had woken him up so suddenly. He squinted in the darkness and saw Will at the top of the stairs, disappearing into the kitchen. Mike frowned as he rubbed his eyes and stretched his limbs before shoving the blanket off of him. He quickly tiptoed through the floor of the basement, stepping over Dustin near the stairs before he walked up the stairs as quietly as he could. 

“Will?” Mike called out when he reached the kitchen, his eyes glancing around the room for any sign of his friend. He got no response and he couldn’t see Will in the room. Frowning, Mike walked through the kitchen and into the living room. His eyes were immediately drawn to the front room window, where he could see the light to the front porch was on. 

Mike hurried to the front door and opened it; it was unlocked. Mike stepped outside and looked to his left and saw Will standing against the railing. Will’s body was shaking a little from crying. Mike dashed over to Will, who didn’t seem to notice him.

“Will?” Mike asked in a soft voice when he reached Will.

Will’s breath hitched and Mike could tell that Will was trying to hide the fact that he was crying. Will wiped his face before he turned to Mike, his eyes red from the crying.

“Hey, Mike,” Will said. “Sorry for waking you up.”

“Forget that, Will. Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing, Mike. You don’t have to worry about it.”

“Will, come on, I’m your best friend,” Mike said, reaching across and resting his hand on one of Will’s hands. 

Will visibly calmed at Mike’s touch; the tension left his shoulders immediately. Will took several deep breaths before he responded.

“I don’t want things to change, Mike,” Will whispered.

Mike nodded.

“I understand, Will. It’s gonna be weird not seeing everyone every day like we’ve gotten used to,” Mike replied. “It’s definitely gonna take some getting used to.”

“I don’t want to lose you, Mike.”

“Hey, hey,” Mike said, stepping closer to Will and pulling him in for a hug. Will latched onto Mike and started crying into his shoulder. Mike hugged Will for several minutes before Will calmed down enough to speak again. 

“You’re not gonna lose me, Will, I promise,” Mike said once they had broken the hug. “No matter what, we’re always gonna be friends.”

“But what are you gonna do, Mike? Everyone else has said what their plans are, but you’ve been so quiet about it. Do you not want to tell me where you’re going this fall?”

“No!” Mike said quickly. “No, it’s not like that, Will. I promise. I wanted it to be a surprise, is all.”

Will blinked.

“What do you mean a surprise?” he asked.

“I was gonna tell you in the morning, Will, once everyone else had gone home,” Mike said. “I’m going with you to NYU. My parents and grandparents both started college funds for me, and there’s enough money for me to go anywhere. So, I’m going with you, Will. If that’s all right with you,” Mike added as an afterthought.

“Oh my god, Mike!” Will exclaimed as he threw himself onto Mike again. “I can’t believe we’re going to college together, oh my god!”

“I’m so glad you’re happy, Will! All I’ve ever wanted was to go to college with you, and I was gonna tell you in the morning that I’ve been accepted into NYU so we can be together!”

“Mike, this is amazing!  _ You _ are amazing!”

“No, Will, that would be you,” Mike said, breaking the hug. “You’re the most incredible person ever, Will. You’ve been there for me when nobody else was and you’re always so kind and wonderful to everyone. It’s why I love you, Will. I love you so much.”

Will blinked at Mike before he surged forward, pressing their lips together. It wasn’t the most perfect kiss; in fact their noses bumped together before both boys quickly adjusted. But in other ways it was perfect because it was  _ them _ . It was everything Will had ever wanted and he wondered how he had gone so long without kissing Mike, despite his feelings for him. And knowing that Mike returned those feelings and had said it outloud had made it all the more special.

Soon, both of the boys were gasping for breath and they broke the kiss. They both giggled while they held on to each other, both of them feeling light.

“In case it wasn’t clear, I love you, too, Mike,” Will said, breaking the silence. “I love you with all of my heart.”

“Thank god,” Mike replied. 

Mike pulled Will in for another hug and they held each other tightly, neither of them caring how tired they both felt. All that mattered was them and their love for each other.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all, I'm back at it again with another Byeler one-shot! Thanks to my friend @hipwillbyers for asking for this in honor of Finn graduating from high school.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed it! I promise I'm gonna write the next chapter of my Reddie hanahaki disease fic soon! I'm going on vacation next week, so I'll definitely have time to work on it, and work on planning out some of my other in-progress stories. Stay tuned!
> 
> Come yell at me on Tumblr: [@wackywriterwhowriteswhenever](http://wackywriterwhowriteswhenever.tumblr.com)


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